Irish Media Name Jordanian Asylum Seeker as Person of Interest in Killarney Killing, Fear He's Now in Jordan

Since Jamey Carney's body was discovered July 7 in her Killarney, County Kerry home, the international manhunt for her killer has entered its first week, and Irish media have now put a name to the man gardaí call a "person of interest": Ahmad Al-Saqar, 28, a Jordanian national.

Al-Saqar had been living in Ireland since 2024, according to the Irish Mirror and Irish Star. He'd applied for asylum, been denied, and was in the middle of appealing that decision when Carney, 43, was found beaten and suffocated in her bed.

Despite the pending rejection, Al-Saqar still had his passport. He used it to board a 3 a.m. bus from Killarney to Dublin Airport, then caught a flight to Istanbul, touching down there roughly an hour before Irish authorities issued an alert on his whereabouts, according to the Irish Star. That head start meant he was gone before Carney's body was even found.

Investigators now believe he may have continued on from Turkey to his native Jordan, a country with no extradition treaty with Ireland, the Irish Star reported. If confirmed, that would make any prosecution far harder to pursue.

The relationship, and the timeline

Carney and Al-Saqar had been romantically involved for several months, according to multiple Irish outlets. Her social media described the pair as a "mixed couple." In one TikTok post cited by the Irish Star, Al-Saqar appeared in a clip with Carney as she showed off a ring on his finger, captioned: "My bride and my princess."

Gardaí believe he was with Carney on Monday and was seen in the area the day before, on Sunday. She was found dead Tuesday afternoon, with what the Irish Independent described as severe head and neck injuries and signs she'd fought back. Al-Saqar had already left the jurisdiction hours earlier.

Before settling in Killarney, Al-Saqar had traveled through the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, according to the Irish Mirror and RTÉ. His social media shows posts from the UK and Turkey in prior years.

Police still won't confirm the name

An Garda Síochána has not officially named, pictured, or described Al-Saqar. RTÉ reported police say they can't comment on his age, name, or nationality "for legal reasons." Fox News Digital asked both Irish police and the Department of Justice to confirm the asylum-denial reporting; neither agency would.

That silence has drawn public criticism. Dublin City Councilor Gavin Pepper argued police should have released the person of interest's photo immediately, saying the delay in identifying him gave him a critical head start to leave the country, according to Fox News.

If a suspect has already fled, withholding identifying details doesn't protect an ongoing investigation from a flight risk who's already gone. But Irish authorities operate under legal constraints around naming individuals who haven't been charged, and no charges have been filed against Al-Saqar as of this writing. He remains a person of interest, not a formally accused suspect, and Irish police have not confirmed his identity, his nationality, or the asylum details being reported by Irish media.

What's proven, what's alleged

What's confirmed: Carney, an American originally from Westchester County, New York, who moved to Ireland in 2021 with her young daughter, was found dead in her Killarney home on July 7. The State Department confirmed her death to Fox News Digital and said it's providing consular assistance to her family. Gardaí have opened a murder investigation and are coordinating with international law enforcement, including Interpol and Europol, alongside Turkish authorities.

What's alleged but unconfirmed by police: that the person of interest is Ahmad Al-Saqar, that his asylum application was denied, and that he's now in Jordan. Those details come from Irish Mirror and Irish Star reporting citing unnamed sources, not from An Garda Síochána or Ireland's Department of Justice on the record.

The unresolved question going forward is whether Irish authorities can locate and extradite Al-Saqar if he has in fact reached Jordan. Ireland has no extradition treaty with Jordan, according to the Irish Star, which would leave prosecutors dependent on Jordanian cooperation that isn't guaranteed by any existing legal framework.